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Lucien LaCroix
Lucien LaCroix is the vampire who brought Nick Knight over. Throughout the almost eight hundred years of their association, he has continuously meddled in Nick's life in an effort to persuade him to live the vampire lifestyle that LaCroix approves. Character Mortal Life In 79 A.D., '''General Lucius' returned to Italy in triumph from a campaign against rebels in Gaul. He settled into his mansion in Pompeii, ordered a sculpture of his head to be carved, and prepared to enjoy the fruits of his success. However, this luxurious life of fortune and fame was brought to an abrupt end when Mount Vesuvius erupted. Conversion to Vampirism The general was not among the victims of Vesuvius. Unbeknownst to him, his daughter Divia had been brought across by an ancient vampire. Even as the tremors of the eruption shook his house, she offered him the option of being saved from mortal death by being turned into a vampire. He snatched at the chance to survive. In Egypt some twenty years later, LaCroix turned on his young master when she pressed him to develop their relationship in a sexual direction. Appalled by the thought of incest, Lucius snatched up a sickle and beheaded his daughter. Then he placed her body in a stone sarcophagus on which was the seal of the sun god Ra. At some subsequent time, he adopted the name "Lucien LaCroix". LaCroix's Vampire Progeny Down the centuries LaCroix has brought quite a number of humans across; but the two who have remained at his side the longest are Janette DuCharme and Nick Knight. The former struck his fancy when he saw her in Paris in the eleventh century running from a soldier who had tried to rape her. He took the whim to kill the man, and then to find out who she might be. Discovering that she was a prostitute with an abusive pimp, he offered to bring her across and give her freedom and revenge. The two of them found the knight Nicholas de Brabant also in Paris. He was returning from the Crusades, disillusioned and ripe for seduction—by Janette, to the lures of the flesh, and by LaCroix, to the promise of immortality. Almost immediately, though, the knight had reservations. These led to frequent arguments between between them, usually ended with a demonstration of Nick's inability to break free from his vampire nature, to LaCroix's triumph. By the mid nineteenth century, however, Nick had determined to leave LaCroix's family. His attempts to break free only assured his master's pursuit. Wherever Nick went, LaCroix was sure to follow, with or without Janette. Three years before the first episode of Forever Knight, "Dark Knight", Nick moved to Toronto. A couple of years later, he took a job as detective with the police force. Unbeknownst to him, LaCroix had become aware of this. LaCroix also read of an exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum that included a jade cup similar to one that Nick had excavated at Altun Kinal in the late nineteenth century—a cup reputed to be used in a ritual to reverse the vampire state. Both cups would be required to complete the ceremony; and LaCroix came to Toronto in order to ensure that Nick would not be able to get the second cup from the museum. In the struggle between them, the second cup was destroyed; but their confrontation ended with Nick's staking his master with a blazing wooden spar. For at least a year, Nick believed LaCroix to be dead—and the memory of staking him haunted him persistently the whole time. However, in the second season premiere, "Killer Instinct", LaCroix returned to Toronto with the intention of reclaiming his bond with his son. He accounted enigmatically for his survival. LaCroix's Modern Professions To occupy his time in Toronto, LaCroix decided to host a midnight show at CERK radio under the name, "the Nightcrawler". Since Nick feels compelled to tune in, this affords LaCroix a channel to his son even when Nick avoids meeting him in person. After a while, though, Nick took to dropping by Janette's nightclub, the Raven even when he knew LaCroix might be around. He even occasionally, as in Baby, Baby, asked for LaCroix's assistance. And, when Nick's partner, Don Schanke, began to suspect that Nick was a vampire, LaCroix skillfully utilized a very subtle form of mesmerism to manipulate him into deciding that the notion was a foolish one. Shortly before the opening of Season Three, Janette decided to move on, and informed LaCroix that she would give the Raven to him. In order to run the club personally, he moved his broadcast booth from the CERK Radio station to a room at the back of the club. Names and Aliases LaCroix is normally addressed by his surname only, by all people in all time periods. His first name, Lucien, is rarely used even when he is being introduced. Even his vampire children call him simply "LaCroix." The one consistent exception to this rule is Divia. She always addresses LaCroix as "Father" (as she did when both were mortal), although she is also his master. Mortal characters sometimes address him as "Mr. LaCroix." This is sufficiently unusual to be noticeably jarring; and it is used to indicate their unfamiliarity with him. General Lucius A general in the Roman army of the first century A.D. would have almost certainly been a patrician (a person of high rank). One of the ways this status was demonstrated was in the naming practices. The familiar name Gaius Julius Caesar is an example. Patrician Roman male citizens had names of at least three parts, praenomen (the forename or personal name), nomen (the clan) and cognomen (the sept or branch of a clan). Relatively few personal names were in use in ancient Rome, one of them being "Lucius". There is no script-based evidence, however, to indicate what LaCroix's actual nomen or cognomen might have been. Some fans have back-formed his nomen as "Divius" from the name of his daughter, Divia, following common Roman naming customs. Any cognomina that are used in fan fiction have been invented by the authors themselves. Lucien LaCroix "Lucien LaCroix" might be considered an alias. However, the vampire has borne the name for many centuries without altering it or reverting to his original mortal nomen. In fact, except for the flashback scenes to the Roman era, the only name he ever uses is "LaCroix". It would perhaps be more accurate, therefore, to say that he has permanently—one might even say legally—changed his name. "Lucien" is the French form of "Lucianus", which is a derivative of "Lucius". In taking his new name, LaCroix therefore retained a form of his Latin praenomen, but added a new surname. In French, la croix means "the cross". The irony of a vampire taking such a name is undoubtedly deliberate, not just on the part of LaCroix himself, but also on the part of the creative team who invented the character. However, the circumstances in which he took this nom de guerre were not described in any of the episodes of the series and remain unknown. The Nightcrawler :For a discussion of the Nightcrawler and his broadcasts, see the main article on his role as radio host. As a radio host at CERK Radio in Toronto, LaCroix uses the professional name "the Nightcrawler". Series Information In the original 1989 pilot movie, the part of LaCroix was played by Michael Nader. Among the changes made for the television series, the part was recast and played by Nigel Bennett. Since the character was supposedly killed at the end of the series premiere, LaCroix appeared in subsequent episodes of Season One only in flashback sequences. In the final scene of the season finale, "Love You to Death", it was revealed that he was in fact alive. In Seasons Two and Three, the character appeared in both present-day and flashback scenes. Episodes of Significance The following is a list of those episodes in which Lucien LaCroix plays a role beyond the norm, deepening our understanding of his character. For a full discussion of his role in each episode in which he appears, see LaCroix's scenes. * "A More Permanent Hell" — LaCroix remembers his Roman past, and how he was brought over by Divia during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Fan Activities Uncle is a common nickname for the character Lucien LaCroix among Forever Knight fans. When Forever Knight fans on the FORKNI-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU mailing list started forming themselves into factions, the first of these comprised fans of LaCroix, who described themselves as "cousins". It was the members of this Cousins faction who initially referred to the character as "Uncle". However, the term became sufficiently pervasive that members of other factions sometimes use it as well. Factions The following factions are followers of LaCroix himself: * Cousins and Light Cousins * Nunkies Anonymous * Nunkies Scouts * Second Cousins The following factions are followers of relationships involving LaCroix (in conjunction with one or more other Forever Knight character): * Unnamed Faction - (Nick and LaCroix) * Cousins of the Knight - (Nick and LaCroix) * Valentines - (Natalie and LaCroix) * Seducers (LaCroix and Janette) * Dark Trinity - (NIck, LaCroix, and Janette) * Unholy Trinity - (Nick, LaCroix, and Natalie) * UnSuiteds (a/k/a LaCroissants) - (LaCroix and Schanke) * Faithfuls - (LaCroix and Fleur) * CERK Perks - (LaCroix and Tracy) * Roman Goddesses - (LaCroix and Urs) Fan Fiction The following are works of fan fiction in which Lucien LaCroix appears among the characters. * FK4: LaCroix is a regular character in the fourth season, appearing in all twenty-two episodes. * "The Charade" by Elisabeth Hurst Stories set in Rome The following fan fiction is set in or has flashbacks to LaCroix's life in ancient Rome (including stories about his childhood and stories when he has just been brought across): * "When in Rome" by Erika Wilson * "Sins of the Fathers" by Molly Schneider * "The Terrible Twos" by Cousin Jules * "Footfalls" by Leslie Grant-Smith Analysis The following page has a detailed analysis of LaCroix's form of "evil" from a writer's perspective: * Case Study of LaCroix See also * Screen captures of LaCroix * Nightcrawler LaCroix LaCroix LaCroix